Bankstown City down Wollongong in thriller
In conditions that would have tested most, Wollongong and Bankstown must take no small credit for putting on a display of exciting end-to-end football in the teeth of a deluge.
On a pitch that appeared barely playable due to large amounts of surface water, both Wollongong and Bankstown somehow contrived to play some exciting, high quality passing football.
Barely 2? minutes in and Wollongong showed that they meant business. After some great build-up play by Steve Hayes on the right side of midfield, Samet Kaynak sent a viciously swinging cross in which was met by a diving James Monie but his bullet header crashed into the Bankstown side netting – much to the relief of Zlatko Joseski in the Bankstown goal.
A minute later Lachlan Cahill beat two men on the edge of the Bankstown box and drilled in a stinging right foot shot that sailed narrowly wide.
Not to be outdone, Bankstown City created a chance of their own 2? minutes later. Shane Webb tricked his way down the right-hand side and crossed only for Greg Owens to volley over when well placed.
With 10? minutes gone, after a spell of sustained Wollongong pressure, Kaynak held up the ball well before finding James Vaughan on the overlap. His first-time cross deceived everyone and was met at the back post by Cahill who flung himself at the ball to bury a rocket like header into the bottom right corner of the Bankstown net. 1-0 Wollongong.
Time and time again James Monie, whose work rate all night was immense, linked up intelligently with Ilija Prenzoski to cause the Bankstown defence nightmares.
Cahill was able to evade Bankstown tackles at will and was posing a massive threat every time he got the ball.
Then, out of nowhere, Bankstown were back in the game. Some good work down the left by Webb lead to a corner. As the ball was swung in, two players went to ground. The referee pointed to the spot having adjudged Able to have pulled Richard Luksic?s shirt. Up stepped Daniel Severino who squeezed the ball under the body of Alex Augusto, but was then ordered to re-take the penalty due to encroachment by an attacker. At the second time of asking, he stepped up and calmly sent Augusto the wrong way. 1-1.
Until that point Wollongong had been on top and came right back at Bankstown. Within a minute of the re-start they had a penalty of their own. Cahill eluded his man and made for the by-line. Tsekenis lunged at him and brought him crashing to the ground, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the spot. Prenzoski stepped up and calmly sent Joseski the wrong way to restore Wollongong?s lead.
Half-time arrived with Wollongong in control and looking like their luck was finally changing.
Within minutes of the restart it was clear to see that Bankstown had changed their tactics and began to adopt a route one approach. Wollongong continued to try and play football but began to be pinned further back by the more direct style Bankstown had adopted.
On 53? minutes Wollongong could, and possibly should, have increased their lead. Monie met a cross from the left with his head and must have been astonished to see Joseski somehow perform acrobatics, not only to reach it but to divert the goal bound effort over the bar. A brilliant save by the former Wollongong shot-stopper.
A minute later, Severino was sent through one-on-one with the goalkeeper, although he looked suspiciously about 4-yards offside, play was waved on but Augusto came smartly off his line and dived at Severino?s feet to rob him of a great chance to level the scores.
Wollongong were defending in numbers now and looked to have cleared a dangerous Bankstown attack when the ball hit Kearns in the face, he played on and cleared the ball over the touch-line only to be penalised by the referee who awarded Bankstown a penalty to the astonishment of everybody in the ground. Severino stepped up and scored his second penalty of the night and Bankstown were back in the game.
Both sides traded efforts like heavyweight boxers slugging it out toe to toe. In the 70? minute the referee inexplicably awarded a free-kick to Bankstown, 30 yards out from the Wollongong goal. Severino?s shot dipped and swerved into the far corner of the net although Augusto maybe should have done better. 3-2 Bankstown.
Wollongong coach Glen Fontana introduced Kieran Dean and Brian Vanega as his team threw caution to the wind in search of an equaliser. Again and again, Joseski thwarted them with a string of fine saves. On two occasions in the last minute he was beaten only for Tsekenis to twice clear the ball off his own line.
When the final whistle sounded the crowd acknowledged the gallant effort by Wollongong, but were left wondering when their luck will change.
Glenn Fontana was philosophical:
?The boys played very well tonight, but yet again we came up against a goalkeeper on top of his form who saved his team. We more than matched a top side, let?s face it we were the only side to score from open play. We created all the real chances and deserved far more than we got out of this match.?
Peter Tsekenis was happy with the win:
?The weather was atrocious and we had to change our style of play at half time to beat them. ?Everyone knows Bankstown like to play football but we had to go route one in these conditions. This Wollongong team was very hungry and competitive. I am pleased that we seem to be hitting some form right now and hope to push on from here.?
Match Stats
Wollongong Community FC 2 (Lachlan Cahill 10?, Ilija Prenzoski 35? (pen))
Bankstown City Lions 3 (Daniel Severino 34? (pen), 60? (pen), 70?)
Tuesday, 2nd June, 2009
Win Stadium, Wollongong
Referee: K. Yaghi
Assistant Referees: S. Robertson and A Coombs
Fourth Official: B. Johansen
Crowd: 350 Approx.
Wollongong Community FC: 1.Alex Augusto; 4.Alfredo Esteves, 5.David Able, 6.Ilija Prenzoski (2.Kieran Deane), 8.Samet Kaynak (14.Brian Vanega), 9.Steve Hayes, 12.Brendan Kearns (10.Balla Conde), 13.Ben Bronneberg, 16.James Vaughan, 19. Lachlan Cahill, 11.James Monie
Substitutes Not Used: 15. Jimmy Lawrence, 20.Matt Brandalise
Yellow Cards: James Vaughan 29?, Brendan Kearns 56?
Red Cards: Nil.
Bankstown City Lions: 1.Zlatko Joseski, 3. Shane Webb, 5.Richard Luksic (C), 6.Peter Tsekenis, 8. George Nohra, 13. M. Pressello, 14.Suad Ameti , 15.Hussein Salameh (10. Fadi Ghossan), 19.Greg Owens (99.Chris Gody Bascur), 29.Hussein Akil, 82 Daniel Severino (20.Cameron White)
Substitutes Not Used: 21. A. Bazi, 55. B.Banois
Yellow Cards: Peter Tsekenis
Red Cards: Nil
-By Dave Wallace
